The Brink
by LoveableVAFreak
Summary: Of everything that has happened in his life, this may be the one thing that comes closest to breaking Barry Allen. Can he protect his family when his most dangerous adversary yet comes to hunt them down? {Rated T for some violence/gore} **UPDATED 2/18**
1. Where It Ends

**Earth 1**

 **8:46pm**

Iris West-Allen knew that she was dying.

She could feel the life slipping out of her with each staggering breath, the quiet - god, the _silence_ \- consuming her as the seconds passed. She couldn't muster the strength to move, her survival instincts telling her that movement would be next to impossible in her state. Around her body it felt wet, and sickly warm, and Iris knew that before long she would bleed out no matter how hard she fought. Part of her wanted to scream, yell as loud as she could for anyone who might hear, but as she swallowed down, she almost choked on the desert dryness of her throat. There was no use; no one would hear her cries, no one would come to save her. Oddly enough she couldn't feel any pain, although she knew that her abdomen had been torn open. The only thing reminding her of this was the emptiness she felt where her children had been growing, eight long months of squirming and kicking and pressure and warmth ripped from her literally in a matter of seconds. She felt the tears well in her motionless eyes. God, her children. _What would happen to them? Who would have taken them? Why was this happening?_ A thousand questions coursed through her mind as she brought herself to cry, knowing the effort would cost her what little time she had left. _Barry. Sweet Barry._ _This wasn't his fault. Would he ever know that?_ He would find them. He would save them. He was The Flash. He saved the people he loved, even if he just wasn't fast enough this time. _Run Barry. Run to them. Rescue our children. Love them. They will be wonderful, just like you._ She began to whimper, causing her throat to convulse in pain and a staggering cough took over her. The world began to phase in and out, and Iris knew that she was losing.

"B-Barry…" It came out as barely a whisper, "I love you…"

She closed her eyes, having used what little strength she had left.


	2. From the Start

**Earth 1**

 **8:46pm**

Iris West-Allen knew that she was dying.

She could feel the life slipping out of her with each staggering breath, the quiet - god, the _silence_ \- consuming her as the seconds passed. She couldn't muster the strength to move, her survival instincts telling her that movement would be next to impossible in her state. Around her body it felt wet, and sickly warm, and Iris knew that before long she would bleed out no matter how hard she fought. Part of her wanted to scream, yell as loud as she could for anyone who might hear, but as she swallowed down, she almost choked on the desert dryness of her throat. There was no use; no one would hear her cries, no one would come to save her. Oddly enough she couldn't feel any pain, although she knew that her abdomen had been torn open. The only thing reminding her of this was the emptiness she felt where her children had been growing, eight long months of squirming and kicking and pressure and warmth ripped from her literally in a matter of seconds. She felt the tears well in her motionless eyes. God, her children. _What would happen to them? Who would have taken them? Why was this happening?_ A thousand questions coursed through her mind as she brought herself to cry, knowing the effort would cost her what little time she had left. _Barry. Sweet Barry._ _This wasn't his fault. Would he ever know that?_ He would find them. He would save them. He was The Flash. He saved the people he loved, even if he just wasn't fast enough this time. _Run Barry. Run to them. Rescue our children. Love them. They will be wonderful, just like you._ She began to whimper, causing her throat to convulse in pain and a staggering cough took over her. The world began to phase in and out, and Iris knew that she was losing.

"B-Barry…" It came out as barely a whisper, "I love you…"

She closed her eyes, having used what little strength she had left.

 **Earth 1**

 **(2 Months Earlier)**

Barry Allen knew he was a dead man.

As he watched his wife, adorning a _flattering_ night shirt and sweatpants- the only outfit that could comfortably accommodate her very pregnant disposition- begin to eat the homemade soup he had crafted, he saw her face twist and lips purse, much like when one eats a very sour apple. This coupled with the fact that after a minute she literally spit the contents back into the bowl, Barry braced himself for the lecture he was sure to get from who had become the pickiest eater in the Allen household.

"Barry!" she called. He couldn't tell if that was anger or disgust in her voice, none of which he wanted to be on the tail end of. He stood at the entrance to the kitchen. "You didn't like it." He tried to sound as sympathetic as possible, but if he had one thing to say about pregnancy is that it could put a big strain on the culinary part of a couple's relationship, especially with twins; twice the babies, twice the pickiness.

She mocked a smile. "Honey," she fawned. Here it comes. "The babies don't like onions, you know that."

She was pulling the baby card. Better than sudden death, but Barry knew this could easily blow out of proportion. He should probably quit while he was ahead and make her a hot pocket or something. Avoid the danger zone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry honey, let me make you another bowl, no onions promise!" He sped and grabbed the bowl, refilled it and brought it back to her in less than 3 seconds. She eyed it and smiled, then took the bowl from his hands. "Oh…how sweet…" He saw her stir around the contents in a very obvious attempt at stalling. Barry knew that she was too nice to tell him that he couldn't cook, but got such a kick out of watching her squirm. Cruel? Maybe. But he knew that he loved Iris and was going to be with her forever and that meant she was going to have to get used to being honest even if that meant crushing his closet dreams of being a chef. Purposefully he stood, waiting for her to take a spoonful, unable to hide the amused smirk on his face. She eyed him back and, accepting his challenge, stubbornly took a bite. Almost instantly she dropped the spoon in the bowl and swallowed hard. "Really Barry? Campbells?!" Realizing he had switched the soup, she stood up and faced him, crossing her arms. He mocked her gesture. "Do you have something to say Mrs. Allen?"

"No, why would I?"

"Because you don't like my soup."

"That's not what I said-"

"Oh, right. _The babies_ don't like it." He shifted his feet. "Iris?"

"…Barry."

"Tell me I can't cook."

She was taken aback slightly by this. "Barry I never sad you couldn't cook."

"No you just never ate what I made you."

She sighed. "Guess I can't argue there."

"Iris, listen to me," He ushered her to the couch, not wanting her to stand around too long, where they rested comfortably across each other. "I only cook because I want to do something nice for you. It's not worth it if you don't even like what I'm making. You can tell me when things aren't the way I think they are." He smiled. "You can tell me when I suck."

She took his hand and smiled sympathetically. "Aww, but you just look so cute when you're trying to impress me." She caressed his hand in hers. "I guess I just haven't gotten used to bursting your bubble. I wouldn't want you to stop doing something that makes you happy."

"Oh, cooking?" Barry laughed. "I would rather live the rest of our lives off take out than cook. I just tried it because I knew you liked it. But since you really don't…" A rush of air pushed Iris back against the couch, and a moment later Barry was back with two pizza boxes. "How about Hawaiian pizza? I heard the world's greatest twins love this stuff."

Iris beamed, and staggered quickly off the couch. Barry hardly had time to put the pizza down before Iris wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. He held her close and smiled.

"You are a terrible cook, Barry Allen," She kissed him again.

"But a wonderful husband."


	3. A World Away

**Earth 2**

 **(Eight Months Earlier)**

"Oh shit," Iris wished she could have found a better word to summarize discovering the best news of her life, but all she could think about was how her husband was going to react.

The stalls of the CCPD woman's bathroom were small, but thankfully abandoned for the most part lest anyone in the precinct overhear. She rummaged through her purse for the backup pregnancy test- because you always need a second opinion- and ripped it open. As she waited for the result, her mind started to go a thousand miles an hour. _Did she really want this?_ Of course she did, she and Barry always said they wanted a family. _But this soon?_ Time was irrelevant; they were well enough off, both in stable employment and, almost 30, Iris knew that if this was something she desired that it was better sooner than later. She could feel both anxiety and excitement welling up inside her, and deep down she knew what that test would say. It was what her husband would that worried her the most.

After not being able to concentrate on her cases, Iris decided she would be better off leaving early and preparing herself to tell Barry the news. She went home and, after getting sick a second time, cleaned up and set up a romantic candle-lit dinner for them. Rather than being subtle, she knew this would surprise Barry, as it wasn't something they usually did out of the blue, and that might do its job of drawing the conversation out of them. She put on a velvet green cocktail dress and, as she put her hair up, eyed the number on herself in mirror. She soaked in the sight of her in something so petite, as it might be the last time she'll ever get to wear it. She looked at the clock. Barry would be home any minute. She took a deep breath. _She should be happy_ , she thought. Something Iris never forgot was how fortunate she was. She had an adoring husband and comfortable life, and while it had it's up and downs she could always count on their friendship and relationship to get them through anything. That on top of a wonderful career at CCPD…

That was just it.

She was afraid he would ask her to choose.

The realization hit her, and she sat on the edge of their bed with her head in her hands. What was she going to do if that happened? Could she really pick between their life and her career? The entire point of her working to put Barry through school was so that she wouldn't have to be passive, sitting at home cooking and cleaning while her husband pursued his dreams. She wasn't that kind of woman. But could she say no if he asked that of her? The anticipation almost killed her as she heard the front door open.

Well, it was now or never.

"Iris?"

It took Barry a moment, setting his coat and bag by the door, to realize the lavish set up his wife had prepared for them. He marveled at the dinner and candles, being taken aback by the gesture. Iris came up from behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Iris, this is beautiful." He chuckled. "What in the world did I miss?"

He turned and placed his arms around her. She smiled up at him. Part of her wanted this moment to last forever, wished that their night could end like this instead of potentially at war with each other. She took a moment to etch the happiness of his features. She knew that this news would simultaneously inflate that happiness and leave it in strain.

She took off his glasses. "Can't a wife prepare dinner for her hard-working husband?"

He grinned, amused. "Well, of course she can. But only you could do it looking that beautiful."

She pulled him into a kiss. She loved how forward he was with her, despite how it could kill their bedroom talk sometimes. She could depend on, whatever their discussion, him being 100% honest with her every time. But tonight, that was one of her biggest fears. She put on her best poker face smile and led him to the table.

After insisting he take care of the cleanup, Barry met his wife on the couch, where she was uncharacteristically waiting for him. He took a seat next to her, and she laid against him. His surprise turned to concern as he looked down, and saw Iris's eyes looking far away from where they were. He squeezed her hand.

"What is it Iris? What's bothering you?"

Without the least bit of defense, she sighed.

"Barry, there is so much of our life together that I love. I love you, I love our home, and our families. I love our jobs and I love how we both get to do what we love."

She sat up and moved so that she was sitting facing him. She held his face.

"I love that I can look at you and know you love me. That you support me, take care of me, everything."

"Of course I do, Iris." He caressed her face. "Always. Now what is this all about?"

She bit her lip and released her hands. This was a lot harder than she had anticipated. A seasoned detective, she had seen her fair share of gun fights, assaults, robberies, and just about any other violent crime you could picture taking place in Central City. She wasn't afraid to be in the middle of it and doing her job. In fact, there was little that scared her at all because of it. Hell, this pregnancy didn't even scare her. But this, watching what should be the happiest news of their lives potentially divide them, that is what shook her to the core. She was afraid of watching her husband be disappointed in her.

"Okay Barry." She stood up. "I'm pregnant."

He was silent for so long she thought she had killed him. He stood. _Say something clever. Say something wonderful_ , she thought. _Make this easier on me, please._

"A-Are you sure?"

 _Way to go Barry Allen._ "Yes babe, I'm sure." She couldn't conceal her nervous laughter. Barry grabbed her and held her tight, literally sweeping her off her feet. "That's amazing! I can't believe this!" He set her down and they beamed at one another, registering the mutual happiness at their new family. He pulled her back to him and kissed her, and they shared their embrace for quiet some time before Iris pulled out a bottle of Chardonnay and popped it open. Barry's eyes furrowed.

"For you…?"

"I'll only have a sip, Mr. Allen, it's okay." She smiled and poured their glasses. She handed him his and they toasted.

"To us trying to be good parents."

"To us being the _best_ parents."

His optimism never failed them. They sat back down, cuddling close. Iris knew it was coming, could feel the tension in her husband's arms, the way he had already become protective of her in her state. She was the one who was pregnant with the dangerous line of work, and someone would have to stay and take care of the baby. The weight of the decisions they would have to make began to sink it's way onto them both. She held him tighter, hoping to put it off, to hold back the inevitable storm.

"Iris…" He sighed.

"Yeah…I know."

"What are we going to do?"

"What are _we_ going to do, or me?"

He released her and sat across from her. "Iris, you know we have to consider this; what you do is not safe and I don't agree with someone in your condition- "

She raised her hands. "Barry, I know what you're going to say. And I understand. But how do you expect me to just give up what I love to do completely because we are having a child?"

Barry bit his lip. He took a long moment to respond, his face curled with something close to anger. "…Maybe we shouldn't talk about this tonight."

Confused, Iris followed Barry as he headed towards the stairs. "Wait a minute. No Barry, we do need to talk about this, because I'm going into work tomorrow to do the same thing I have done every day of my career and that- "

Barry suddenly turned around.

"I know you don't want to admit it, Iris, but you are _not_ invincible! Every day you go out there and you are in danger, and I live with that because that is what you love to do. But you're _pregnant_ Iris! This completely changes things!"

Following him into their room, Iris grabbed Barry's arm and turned him around.

"You think I don't know that, Barry? I do. And it will take time, but I will take care of myself!" She began against her better judgement to cry. "What else would you have me do, Barry? Give up everything I love? My career?"

It broke his heart just as much as hers to hear her say it. Barry knew this was killing Iris, but he couldn't hold back. He just couldn't understand why keeping her child safe wasn't her first priority.

"I helped you go to school to do what you love, Barry." She wiped her eyes and softened. "And I would never change that. I would never want you to stop doing what you love. So why can't you support me like I support you?"

Sympathy took over Barry, but he held firm. "Iris, I'm a CSI. I'm not a detective, who goes out and faces any number of criminals and dangerous situations on a daily basis. And I'm not carrying _our_ child." He shook his head. "Why is this hard for you?"

"Excuse me?" She wasn't sure if pregnancy hormones kicked in during the first weeks of gestation, but fire burned up in her with her husband's remark. Barry's eyes widened.

"Did you just ask why this is hard? Well, let's see Barry, I am the one carrying our child for starters: I'm going to get fat, I'm going to have to share my body, and what's more is I have to stop doing my job in order to do this. And I don't even get my husband's support!" Barry attempted to put his arms around her, to comfort her, but she shooed him away.

"No, you don't get to do that. Having this child, it's so wonderful. Having our family is the most amazing thing I could have asked for. But it comes at a price for me, Bartholomew. Not for you. You can still do what you do. I can't, and I don't know if I can live like that."

She stormed out of the room, leaving Barry desperate, hurt and confused. He wanted to comfort his wife, but everything she said was true: that _is_ what he wanted her to do, and part of him felt ashamed for it. He wanted to lock her in a box and keep her safe with their child- what was so wrong with that? But Iris, Iris was a _person._ She was a wonderful woman, an incredible wife and the strongest person Barry knew. He didn't have a right to ask her to give up such a huge part of herself to do this thing for _them_. He sighed and sat on the edge of their bed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Shit…"


	4. Devestation

**Earth 1**

 **8:55pm**

The house was eerily unlit as Barry pulled up their driveway. The bumps were not kind to the massive amount of furniture he had stored for the nursery in the bed of the truck, but he considered the lack of crashing noises to be a good sign. As he parked and walked out of the car, he looked toward the front door, wondering why Iris hadn't left the porch light on for him. She always kept it on in case he got swept away for Flash duty in the middle of the night, but regardless he figured some light should be on. He took a quick glance at his phone. Maybe she had left with Linda or Caitlyn to do some baby shopping. He shrugged it off and put the key in the door, only to find it had been left open. Barry froze.

"Iris?"

Instinctively, Barry sped through the perimeter of the house. Almost instantly he was stopped by a sight he could never fathom in his worst nightmares.

There was Iris, cut open and bleeding to death on the ground.

He screamed for her and rushed to her side, lifting her head and checking for a pulse. He shook her. "Iris, baby, c'mon talk to me!" There was a part of him that could barely register the situation, that had to pretend that he didn't see the extent of her injuries in order to remain calm and under control. He felt a numbness as cold as his wife was to the touch, and when he heard a gasp from her lips, he quickly picked her up and sped to the hospital, conspicuousness being the last thing on his mind.

"What happened?"

All around him Barry could hear the question being asked, but all he could focus on was the bloodstains on his clothing and arms, Iris's blood. The voices sounded distant and muffled, and the last thing Barry wanted to do was answer them. If anyone was there that he knew, he didn't know. He felt like he was underwater, like everything was in slow motion and weighted to the floor. All he could see was the blood.

He felt a pair of arms wrap around him, and then another placing a sweater- or blanket, he couldn't tell- around him, both taking their time to hold and comfort him. He couldn't make out their faces in the sea of chaos around him, but he was sure it was Joe and Cecil. _God, the blood_. _Iris._ His mind wouldn't- couldn't- think about their children. Despite his best efforts he couldn't block out the sight of her injuries. Her exposed abdomen, the blood spewed around her. Deep down he knew. But awareness and acceptance are as far as oceans, and right now he was waiting to see if Iris would even survive. He felt his head fall into his hands. The tears began to drip into his palms and down his face, but he couldn't feel or hear himself crying. All he could feel was Joe's arms wrap around him again, clinging to him for dear life. The ER doors pushed open, and through the commotion an infant began to cry in the distance.

 _Don. Dawn._ Barry shot up, taking Joe aback. "Wh-where are they?!" Beside himself, Barry began to look around, panicked. Joe and Cecil took his arms, attempting to console him. Where were his children? They called to him. They needed him. He was The Flash. Could he really do _nothing_? Joe eventually restrained him, to the safety and comfort of the waiting room patrons, and Barry sat back down, still on edge. Joe's face came into focus. He was telling him something, something about _"figuring something out"_ and staying " _strong_ ". It sounded like a foreign language. Slowly, Barry succumbed to the one thing he knew would be his downfall. Fear.

There was a chance Iris could be dead.

Their children could be dead.

His strength was with them, there was no _being_ strong. Like a train Barry was hit with the overwhelming fear and grief he had been suppressing. He wept into Joe's chest, and he held him like he had all those years growing up. He tried to stop, tried to pull himself together, but just couldn't. This could be it. His entire life could be over. He wailed into his father. He was The Flash, and he had never been more powerless.

There was far too much blood on his hands.


	5. The Threat

**Earth 2**

 **9.5 Months Later**

For the first time in a month Barry's alarm clock woke him sooner than his children's wailing did.

The hands showed 7:30 am, and Barry rustled in bed, trying to fight consciousness. He reached out and hit the button, silencing the ringing, then hid back under the covers. Iris was no doubt already well on her way to work, which meant even if for a moment he would have the entire bed to himself. For the past month since they brought the twins home- and long after he had lost the fight in getting Iris to take on the role of housemother- Barry had been cashing in his own paternity leave and camping out in various styles in the nursery: the rocking chair, the floor, even sometimes against the crib. Needless to say, it had been a long minute since he slept in his bed like a normal person.

But it was too quiet.

With a low grunt, Barry threw the blanket off himself and got up, putting on his glasses and wrapping his robe around him. For some weird reason, he felt the need to sneak down the hallway, being careful to not make a sound and wake them from their uncharacteristically peaceful slumber. Why he felt this would make a difference he couldn't place, but after a solid month of pretty much sleepless nights he thought it worth a shot. Slowly pushing the door open, he walked in and saw both his children, Dawn Margaret and Donnie Henry, wrapped tightly in their blankets and peacefully snoring away. The sight warmed his heart. _They must be exhausted._ He wasn't over his check-their-breathing phase, but after he was assured they were still alive, he made the conscious decision to tuck them tighter and let them sleep. After all, parenting was all about the little concessions, even if five minutes later they'd be calling out to their father for food.

"Barry, babies are supposed to sleep, honey."

"Right, no I know that. But this much? I'm not sure they've actually been awake today."

Barry wrapped the phone cord around his hand, anxiously awaiting his mother's response. Sure, he was 27, a grown man- but he _was_ 27, a young father and definitely still needed the guidance of his mother, especially navigating through the terrain of parenthood. A mommy's boy himself, he could only hope that Donnie would be the same with his mother, because he wouldn't trade the relationship he had with Nora Allen for anything. He could hear his mother typing away on a keyboard, obviously finding reliable resources for the information she was about to give him. She always knew how diligent her son was, and now that he was a father himself she was all too aware that, unless given the most reputable assurance, he'd be obsessed with worry for his children. She chuckled on the other end, and Barry surrendered a smile. He did love hearing his mother blissfully taking on the role of grandma, something she had been pining for the chance to do since he and Iris' wedding night.

"Well, I've looked at four different sites for you Barry, and they all say the same thing,"

Barry pulled out his notepad.

"They say you should thank your lucky stars."

Barry sighed. _Great_ , he thought. It's not as if he didn't know this. There was a strange contention between being aware you are overreacting and taking no for an answer when it came to your kids. They had been to the doctor enough in their month of life and everything was good- excellent for twins even. Perhaps Barry needed to accept that sooner than later before becoming the overbearing stay at home dad that everyone despised. He thanked his mother and they finished their small talk about the twins before Barry hung up the phone. He listened but of course heard nothing. He slouched into the couch.

 _Not going to check on them._

 _Not going to check on them…_

The phone rang.

 _Knew there was something else_ , Barry picked up the receiver, waiting for the chance to tell his mother he told her so. He clicked his pen open.

 **"** **Barry Allen."**

A mechanical voice echoed on the other end. It almost made Barry drop the phone. He froze, and checked the receiver to see if it was broken. The voice continued as a flustered Barry attempted to hang up.

 **"** **You cannot ignore me. you must listen, If you want them to live."**

Barry's blood ran cold. "..What?" He turned quickly towards the stairs. Instantly the silence strangled him. _Dawn. Donnie._ He shot off the couch, sprinting faster than he ever had to the nursery. The door shot open, and he almost slammed into their cribs. Panting, he ripped the blanket off where his daughter should have been and he was met with a shock.

There she was. Sleeping as soundly as she had been before.

Barry checked on Donnie, and he was safe as well. Frazzled, he covered them back up and slowly made his way out into the hallway. What had just happened? Did he hallucinate that call?

Before he could calm down completely, the phone in his room began to ring.

This time, fury began to well up inside him. Whatever this game was, he wasn't going to play. Not with his family. He didn't give the voice a chance to speak.

"Listen, I don't know what this is, but this is not funny. I don't know who you are, but I am calling the police." As he began to dial the police, leaving the assailant on the line in an attempt to allow the authorities to track them, the voice harkened no reply. Instead, he heard a muffled sound in the distance. At first, he couldn't make it out, but eventually it came into focus. It was a baby, crying. Soon, the crying triggered the wails of another. Barry stopped dialing. _That crying._ He knew those cries. It was the same call he'd been at the mercy to for the past month. But how was that possible when his children were right here with him?

 **"** **Perhaps you misunderstand me. What you hear, Barry Allen, is what you fear."**

The crying intensified. Every nerve in his body begged Barry to help, though he knew that place was not here and that those children were not his. His mind and body fought one another, and his throat ran dry. "What is this? What do you want?" The crying continued. He wished he could make it stop.

The voice chuckled, the first humanizing feature it had lent itself too. Somehow, picturing this _person_ on the other end and not some robot made the entire situation that much more sinister. And dire. Those cries were being ignored. Those children were being ignored. There wasn't a lot of time to do that before things would take a turn for the worse.

 **"** **You see your own with you, and yet they are also here. Logic is your enemy. Logic is their death."**

 _Death._ The words sunk deep into Barry. Their wailing intensified. This man wasn't lying, he _would_ let them die. He was doing it as they spoke. He stopped trying to piece together how this could be happening. Those cries, those children, they were _his._ He didn't know how, but somehow this man had taken versions of them hostage. Did it even matter that they weren't the Dawn and Donnie with him in person? Barry grabbed two blankets out of the bassinettes next to their bed, along with two small monkey toys his mother had stitched for them. _Daddy's coming._ Barry gripped the receiver.

"What do you want?"

As soon as Barry had given into the man's demands, almost instantly he was whisked out of the house.


	6. Black Ink

**Earth 2**

As far as she was concerned, Iris couldn't drive home fast enough.

Against policy, she hijacked her squad car and blared the siren and lights, mazing through traffic. Panic had almost ensued in the office when a message was burned into her desk when she was out, and the smoke triggered the fire alarm system for the entire building. When they were cleared and reentered, a cryptic note was etched into the wood.

"Get home, they're alone"

That was enough to force Iris into high gear. As she drove, she hastily dialed and redialed her home phone, fearing the worst for what happened to her husband. If that message was true, _something_ must have taken him.

He would never leave their children otherwise. Although this wasn't her first exposure to metas by any means- and this _was_ a meta, no doubt- this hit home; this was personal. And she refused to question the message and think that God forbid something actually happened to Donnie and Dawn. With each unanswered tone panic seeped deeper into the pit of Iris' stomach. _Don't assume,_ she thought, _stay calm, stay focused._ She didn't even have time to call Barry's mother, who would have been able to get to their house sooner. It was probably better not to throw her into this mess just yet. Impersonal? Maybe. But the cop in her was taking over to protect the wife and mother who was so stricken with fear that she was frozen still. She hardly put the car in park before she ran out and through her front door. The noise awoke the twins, who were unattended for less than ten minutes, and they began to wail. Iris rushed to them, picked them up and simultaneously scanned them over. Once she realized they were unharmed she laid them back down, and began scrambling through her home, half hoping to find Barry working somewhere, half searching for clues as to what had happened to him. Against herself she called out to him, but to no avail. When she got to their room, she saw the phone lying off the receiver, and next to it on the carpet another engraved message was waiting for her.

"Come and get him".

"Damnit!" Panicked and infuriated, Iris threw the phone back onto the floor, almost breaking it from the force. Who would have taken her husband? What would any meta want with him? This wasn't the other earth- he wasn't The Flash, or someone that would be on a metas radar. He was Barry Allen, a damn CSI for crying out loud. Iris fought back the tears that began to well in her eyes. _What were they going to do to him?_ The thought was too much to bear. Iris stood up and examined the rest of the room, hoping to spot anything else that would help her case. As she got to their bed, she realized something was off. Wiping her tears, she approached the twin bassinettes that Barry had set up in their bedroom. It was then she noticed they were empty. Barry had taken note of the abundance of baby blankets and bed sets they had received for their baby shower, and made sure that both their children had more than enough bed stuff to sleep with wherever they laid. Whatever was in these bassinettes before was gone now. _Had Barry taken them?_ _Why would he need something like that?_ She shuddered. This entire mess was getting worse. As she calmed down and made a better investigation of her house, and when she was entirely sure the threat was gone, she got right down to work. Making one last round to the nursery, Iris tucked her children back in after feeding them, knowing they would be safe with their grandparents who were alerted and were on their way. She approached Dawn's crib, and stroked her small cheek, the warmth and softness almost allowing Iris to forget the mayhem unfolding around her. She kissed her on the head, then kissed Donnie, and as she walked out she turned around and surveyed them one last time.

"Don't worry Barry," She whispered, "I'm coming for you babe."


	7. The Protector

**Earth 4**

"Oh God, what did you do..?" Barry rushed to the bundles wound up on the floor, ignoring the caged chamber he had been thrown in and the daunting meta that had just kidnapped him. He knelt down and looked the babies over- yep, they were definitely Donnie and Dawn- and wrapped the blankets he brought around them to supplement for their poor swaddling. _God, they're so small_ , he thought. He couldn't recall his own children being so little even at birth. As he took care to wrap them tightly, their little bodies squirming and whimpering as he did, Barry could feel his kidnapper watching over him. Without even turning around, Barry called to him, his voice cracking.

"I don't know what you did, but these children need to go to the hospital." For some reason placing some implied distance between him and these versions of his children helped him not to blur the lines. He touched this Dawn's cheek, and felt the burning sensation he had feared. "They're sick, they shouldn't be somewhere like this!"

The man's silence infuriated Barry, who was furiously trying to wrap the babies up in anything he could. Stripping down to just his undershirt and pants, Barry rested them back down on the makeshift bed and walked back up to the steel bars separating him and his assailant. The darkness shrouded the meta from plain sight, but his mechanical red eyes pierced the darkness and fog around them. Barry gripped the cell door. "Did you hear me? They can't be here! I came like you asked, now let me help them!"

The meta stared at him, letting silence take back over before rushing to the other side of the cage. A startled Barry glared at the meta, who was now inches from his face. **"I brought you here to help them."** A metal claw rose and pointed its tip straight at the twins **." Before I'd have to kill them."** Instinctively, Barry moved to protect them, and the meta laughed. That menacing laugh, the same as before, sent chills through Barry. _Was he really going to keep them here? What was he supposed to do?_ He wasn't a doctor, he couldn't cure them. He lacked the supplies and facets to feed them too, so as far as he knew he was powerless. The meta's mechanical exterior lent no expression, no assistance, no hope. Barry swallowed hard. _This thing was for real._ He surrendered. "What am _I_ supposed to do? I have no clothes for them, no food, and they need medici-"

Before Barry could finish, the meta seemingly fazed through the bars of the cage, and before he could register what had happened Barry was against the wall, the meta's powerful claw squeezing and piercing the skin around his neck. He began to choke. The red eyes intensified.

 **"You will help them or you will die. Their fate is yours now."**

Just as quickly as he came the meta sped out and disappeared, dropping Barry onto the concrete floor. As he gasped to regain his breath, he moved against the wall, holding his neck and the wounds around it that began to drip. Where he had once stood, Barry noticed a small bag the meta had left behind. It was a bag of mediocre baby supplies and off brand baby medicine. _How generous_ Barry thought, but even with his humor he couldn't shake the fear that left his muscles trembling.

Just what in the hell had he gotten himself into?


	8. Monkey

**Earth 1**

 **11:20pm**

Life was such an oxymoron.

In front of Barry lied the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, with what would otherwise be the most peaceful expression on her face. Except for the fact that she was in a medically induced coma that was the only thing keeping her alive. The ventilator pumped up and down as oxygen coursed through her body, the ICU exhausting it's IV's and wires and every option to repair the unthinkable damage that had come to her body. Whatever had occurred took no discretion to keep the victim alive. The doctor had relayed the extent of her injuries to Barry when he had been taken to see her, but none of the medical jargon had registered to him; all he could do was steal glances at his wife, hoping to see some shred of consciousness, some light in all this suffocating darkness. Instead she looked as motionless as a doll and the only thing keeping him company in the room was the methodical beeping of the machines attached to her.

He couldn't take his eyes off her face. Somehow it showed the trauma she had been through, for despite how peaceful and cleaned up she seemed she looked instantly older than Barry had remembered. Her eyes were sunken in, and he knew with sinking dread that the last thing she had been doing was crying. Her usually dark and radiant skin was paled, and her arms and neck bore the remnants of bloodstains. She looked like she had been through war. Her pertruding belly that Barry had gotten so used to noticing, holding, and feeling the vibrant kicking of his children against was only remembered by the bulge of the bandages tied tightly across her abdomen seeming to keep her in one piece. It didn't come close to doing the ladder justice.

Barry reached over and slowly took Iris' hand, gently caressing it with his finger. God, she was so cold. _Had he come too late? Was this all he would be left to remember her by?_ The thoughts that overtook him paralyzed him with fear. The possibility of this truly being the end for them was becoming more and more realistic. He felt his throat tighten. Even though he knew that Cecil and Joe were waiting to come see her, Barry wasn't anywhere near rushing being here with Iris now. "Hey baby," he fained the best smile he could, but despite his best effort his voice was barely a whisper. "I'm here." The words were failing him. _What could he say? Did she even hear him with her?_ Every cliché he had ever internalized or preached to a victim was coming back to haunt him-badly. Barry lived off hope, found it in even the most impeccable circumstances. Even the threat of being swallowed by the Speedforce couldn't steal it from him, but looking down and seeing his wife in such an overwhelming position coupled with the fact that his family was torn apart and his children were _at best_ missing before they were even supposed to be _alive_ …

Hope had betrayed him.

Hope was a stranger to him now.

Before he could catch himself, Barry knelt out of the chair and kissed Iris' hand, his elbows pressed against the edge of the bed. He began to tremble.

 _I don't want this._

"Baby, please…" His voice broke, as did any defense he had left against it. "Please, you've got to be okay, I can't-" The air was sucked from his lungs and his breath hitched. He would sell anything- his heart, his speed, his _life_ \- to wake up from this hell. He'd break every bone in his body to have his children back with them. "I can't do this baby, I need you." His head fell in defeat on top of her hand, and Barry could feel every second of his own heart breaking.

 _This can't be happening._

"Donnie. Dawn," He didn't have the right to say their names.

 _I've failed them._ "They need you so badly Iris. Come back to us." Regardless of how mechanical his responses felt, deep down he believed what he was saying- or, moreover, what was under it. Call it unfleeting optimism or abhorrent denial, but something in him refused to believe his children were gone. They were _taken, kidnapped._ That implied a reason. That implied they were still _alive._ He squeezed her hand tightly.

"I'm gonna' bring them home Iris." For the first time in hours Barry's eyes finally focused on his wife's face. If it took everything in him he'd fix this. He had too. He was the god damn Flash. He wouldn't let it end like this. A jolt ran through him and awoke every nerve and reflex in his body. His grief meant nothing. His family needed him now more than they ever would. "Come back to us."

With that Barry sped away faster than he ever had. In her hand Barry left a small toy monkey his mother had made him when he was a baby, one Joe had dug out of storage shortly after he heard of their arrival. On it Iris had inscribed under Barry's the name of her son, Donovan Henry Allen. He tucked the matching pink plushie inside of his suit.

He wanted her to be the first to give it to him when he got back.


	9. Comfort

**Earth 4**

Regardless of how much he had tried to dismiss it, the threatening presence of the meta was unending, for every time Barry thought he had a moment to breath it would show up, rattling the cage door, as if demanding he care for the twins- quickly. He couldn't fathom what this thing would want with them, but he judged it must have something to do with their parents on whatever Earth they had come from. _Was this because of The Flash?_ Barry himself was no stranger to metas either, but the case in point was that _his_ Donnie and Dawn were not in any danger as far as he could gauge; but these babies, these versions of them- whom couldn't possibly have different parents, that much genetics proved- had been kidnapped and held hostage. The pieces, however slowly, began falling into place. If this was because of The Flash, this situation was still so much more than he could imagine.

He wrapped the babies back up, cleaning and feeding them on an attempted schedule, and reached over to the bottle of medicine. He thanked his lucky stars for his CSI work, for diluting substances and combining ingredients were talents put well to use when using the minimal supplies provided to him to care for their illnesses. Each had a breaking fever- much better than when he had first arrived- and Barry was optimistic that, albeit slow for lack of proper care, the twins would soon be healthy. While he still couldn't understand their prematurity, his priority at the moment would be nursing them until they could get to a hospital.

That begged the question of when that would happen.

As if on cue the meta emerged, grasping its metal claws onto the bars of the cell. A low mechanical growl emanated from the suit, which meant Barry needed to update him on their condition. Barry walked up to the cell door. For a second, he glared at the meta. His blood boiled, not for his situation necessarily but the fact that this thing had dragged these defenseless children into this conflict. Whatever business he had with The Flash, whatever damage this thing was willing to do, if he hadn't surrendered to this thing they likely would have died from illness and malnutrition. It didn't help that they resembled his own children to a tee either. Impartiality was next to impossible.

"Their fevers are breaking," Barry barked, and turned to avoid facing the meta lest he lose control of his emotions. "I need more food and water. Blankets too. There's little point to treating them when they are going to be susceptible to the same things as long as they're here." He couldn't avoid getting his digs in. That, or he was unconsciously appealing to some humanity in the meta that clearly it did not possess. Whatever the case, the meta released the bar door and Barry could see the indents of the claws left where he had been gripping. Barry was right to fear him. This meta was stronger than any he had ever seen. It sped away quickly and returned with the bare minimum of the items he had requested. Barry scoffed. _Son of a bitch._ He walked over to Dawn and Don and wrapped each up more thoroughly, expecting the meta to zoom out as soon as it had come. Instead he could hear it pacing outside of the cage, rummaging through belongings. With his back turned to him, he figured he didn't have much to lose in trying to get some answers.

"Who are you anyway?" He heard the footsteps cease. "Why do you have these children? What's your end game here?"

Instead of answering, Barry could hear the meta unchaining the lock to the cage door. He turned around and faced the meta. _Why hadn't he phased through it like before?_ He was holding what appeared to be suits, all bearing the same lightning bolt emblem embroidered on the chest. His blood ran cold. This _was_ about The Flash, and apparently, he wasn't the only one.

 **"** **I see I have your attention now."** The meta laid out the first suit. It was faded and had a mixture of red and blue sequencing **. "Jay Garrick was difficult to locate but was quickly terminated."** He threw down a black uniform, then another more fitted red one with a bloodied eye mask. **"The remnant of Zoom was merely practice. The girl was a challenge."** Adding insult to injury, he threw down a yellow suit and topped it with a metal hat sequenced with twin lightning bolts. Trophies. Barry's mouth ran dry and he just stared, wide eyed and terrified. Had he really gone and killed all these versions of The Flash? If so, why? What terrified him the most was the fact that this time, this Flash, was a seemingly different case, for if he wanted him dead he would already have his garb for his collection. What made him go to such great lengths for this Flash? **"Their speed is better served with me, as with all insolent 'heroes'. Power is not reserved for the weak."** Barry looked back up at the meta, like looking into the eyes of your worst nightmare. If he could do this to so many people, what were two little infants to his ends? He couldn't lie either: he feared for his own life too, and if he would ever get to see his wife and children again. It seemed that anyone that crossed paths with this meta didn't live to pass on the message. "Why are you doing this-?"

Before Barry could blink the meta came within inches of his face. He could feel the cold steel radiating against his own skin. He didn't dare to breath as the red eyes penetrated into his gaze.

 **"** **I am the Supreme Being. I am the end of all things. The end to life. Eternity."**

Instantly the meta was hovering above Dawn and Donnie. "No!" Barry pleaded, raising his arms as if to try and stop him. "Please- please." The meta glared down at him, and then the children. If Barry didn't know any better, he'd have heard a smile in his voice.

 **"You are alive to serve the purpose to which I have given you."** With the tip of his metal claws he slowly dragged them across the children's swaddles, never taking his eyes off Barry. **"You are what separates them from life and death. Remember that."**

When he sped away, Barry ran over to the infants, who began to cry. "Shh…" He did his best to cradle both of them at the same time, gently rocking them. His parental instinct inclined him to comfort them, although he wasn't so sure they were the only ones who needed it.


	10. Melting

**Earth 1**

 **11:45pm**

"Barry, what in the world are you doing here?"

Caitlyn Snow rubbed her tired eyes, which had become burnt out after slaving away in front of a computer screen for the past 3 hours. She had just dozed off at her desk when she felt Barry's hand gently touch her shoulder, assuming he had sped there judging from his suited attire. She looked up and met his gaze; those were just about the saddest eyes she had ever seen on him.

Before she could even ask, Barry ushered her to sit back down and sat across from her. She could feel her heart begin to race as she examined the stress of his features- the bags under his eyes, his pale face, disheveled appearance. She prayed with everything she had that he had just returned from a battle and that disaster had not struck. Unfortunately, she had no idea what was coming.

In his own strong stoic way, the way that had been able to lead Team Flash for the past 5 years, Barry leaned forward and took Caitlyn's hands. She resisted the urge to flinch away, because she didn't want to hear what he'd have to say next. _God, what happened?_ She swallowed her fear and met Barry with a strong stare. Although she feared the worst for herself and her team, she had never seen Barry look so…defeated. She decided that he didn't have to be the only strong one.

"Barry?"

"I…I need your help Caitlyn."

"Anything."

Suddenly, the fear subsided, and the word spit out before she could think. She had long since been able to better handle her powers and resist changing to her alter-ego, but this was different. She was reading Barry far closer than probably ever, and she could see he was cracking. Rather than panic, it commanded her to protect him, and she squeezed his hand a little tighter and offered him a small reassuring smile.

With that, Barry broke and he told her everything.

He had broken down and ended up laying in her lap, his cries muffled as Caitlyn held him close. She couldn't begin to digest the magnitude of what he had told her, so she continued to handle what she could in keeping Barry strong and letting him lean on her. This was too much for him to do on his own. When he had calmed down, he sat back up, his face red and puffy like an injured child who was just comforted by his mother. He sniffled, and stood back up trying to save face. "God, I'm sorry Cait…I don't.."

"Barry," Caitlyn stood up, holding her breath to keep her heart from breaking into pieces. She held his face in both her hands. "Don't." She pulled him into a tight hug- "Joe" style, as she liked to call it. "We're gonna' find them if Central City has to fall for it." Barry had never seen so much conviction from Caitlyn, but no matter where it came from it was just what he needed right now. He squeezed Caitlyn thankfully. She waited, then pulled away from him, swallowing her own anguish at the news and fear that had crashed into her. Now was not the time. Iris, the twins, Barry- they all needed her now. She sat down at the desk that had ceremoniously become Iris' spot prior to her pregnancy and began firing up the computer. "We have work to do. I'm gonna' redirect the satellites to report any fluctuations in the continuum in the last 24 hours. If this is a meta, let alone a Speedster, then this is the best way to figure out their mode of attack." She began furiously typing away, never taking her eyes off the screen. "But I can't do all this alone." She paused and turned around to face Barry, who looked in that moment to be drawing all his strength from her, the same look they had imposed on him all these years. This was it. There was no room for mistakes. "I'll call Cisco. Get Harry. Now."


End file.
